For example, disclosed in Document 1 is a developer supplying apparatus which supplies a developer(s) to a developing device included in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copy machine.
In the developer supplying apparatus disclosed in Document 1, a toner(s) (developer(s)) contained in a toner cartridge (developer container) is conveyed to a predetermined position with a screw provided in the toner cartridge.
However, in order to convey a large amount of toner, it is necessary to increase the size of a toner cartridge main body so that the screw will not be loaded. That is, the problem is that the amount of toner that the toner cartridge can contain is small.
Here, each of Documents 2 to 4 discloses a technique for conveying, without using the screw, the toner, contained in the toner cartridge, to a desired position by causing the toner cartridge itself to rotate.
According to this technique, the toner is conveyed by the rotation of the toner cartridge itself. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide in the toner cartridge the screw for conveying the toner. On this account, it is not necessary to consider the load of the screw. Therefore, it is possible to increase the amount of toner contained in the toner cartridge.
However, according to the technique disclosed in each of Documents 2 to 4, the toner is directly discharged from the toner cartridge. Therefore, the toner cannot be discharged stably depending on the amount of toner contained, the number of rotations of the toner cartridge, etc. That is, the problem is that the toner cannot be supplied to the developing device stably.
Here, disclosed in Document 5 is a developer storage container in which (i) a container for temporarily containing the toner discharged from the toner cartridge is provided and (ii) the toner is supplied to the developing device from this container. In this case, even in the case of a configuration of discharging the toner by the rotation of the toner cartridge main body, it is possible to supply the toner to the developing device stably.
Document 1
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 142936/1998 (Tokukaihei 10-142936 (published on May 29, 1998)
Document 2
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 20705/1995 (Tokukaihei 7-20705 (published on Jan. 24, 1995) Document 3
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 339115/1996 (Tokukaihei 8-339115 (published on Dec. 24, 1996)
Document 4
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 348127/1994 (Tokukaihei 6-348127 (published on Dec. 22, 1994)
Document 5
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 317592/2004 (Tokukai 2004-317592 (published on Nov. 11, 2004)
However, the problem of the technique disclosed in Document 5 is that it is impossible to print in large quantities at high speed. Reasons for this are as follows.
This is because, according to the technique disclosed in Document 5, the toner is conveyed so as to gather at a center portion of a cartridge main body, and then supplied to a development device. That is, in order to print in large quantities at high speed, it is necessary to stably supply the toner to the development device at high speed. Therefore, in the case where the toner is conveyed so as to gather at the center portion of the cartridge main body as in Document 5, it takes time until the toner gathers at the center portion of the cartridge main body. On this account, it is difficult to stably supply the toner to the development device at high speed.